Around a couple of months back, Skoda launched Rapid TSI 1.0 at an astonishingly attractive deal of Rs 7.49 Lakhs for the entry-level Rider variant. The affordable price tag did come across as the highlight. As far as recent developments are concerned, Skoda has temporarily paused the bookings of the Rider variant citing higher demands than the company's expectations.
From the moment it was launched, the Rider variant was expected to sell in good quantities, but as it turns out the Rider has accounted for 30% of total bookings which is way more than the company's initial forecast.
Why all the Buzz?
The temptingly low introductory price of Rs 7.49 Lakhs manages to undercut other competitors in its segment by significant price differences ranging from Rs 80,000 (Ciaz’s base model cost Rs 8.3 Lakhs) to 2.4 Lakhs (Honda City’s base model cost Rs 9.9 Lakhs)
With the impressive feature list on offer with the Rapid Rider, it even poses a serious threat to many compact sedans offering a great value for every penny spent.
Skoda Rapid Rider: All good that it offers
Engine
There is no denying the fact that a trusted 1.0 L petrol mill on offer with the entire Rapid range produces decent performance figures. It churns out a power output of 109 HP and torque output of 175 Nm. Keeping all the other goodies aside for a moment, getting a Skoda with this trusted engine at a price of Rs 7.5 Lakhs sounds like a great deal.
Decent Feature list
Even though it is a base variant, the Rider will not come across as a price-compromised unit. It gets a generous amount of feature list on offer. The Rider variant gets goodies like Automatic climate control system, dual airbags, ABS with EBD, electrically adjustable ORVMs, tilt and telescopic adjustable steering wheel, rear parking sensors, a rear armrest and 2-DIN Audio system.
Skoda to introduce Rider Plus and Automatic gearbox
It is important to note that there is a huge price void between the Rapid Rider (Rs. 7.49 Lakhs) and Rapid Ambition (Rs 9.99 Lakhs), Skoda is planning to narrow down the huge gap between the first two variants. A Rider Plus variant is about to be introduced, which will get a richer feature list. It is expected to get alloy wheels, LED DRLs and even more colour options. It will not only reduce the burden on the Rider but will also provide the buyer with the convenience of a higher number of options.
None of Rapid’s variant is offered with an automatic gearbox. However, its introduction is pretty much on the cards. The automatic variant may be priced at a premium of Rs 1 Lakh over the respective manual transmission variants.
Author’s Take
There is no denying the fact that Rider is Rapid’s most value for money variant. In fact, I can go on record to say that it provides a great value not only in comparison to other Rapid variants but also if the other offerings from the mid-size sedan segment are taken into consideration.
The rider got us all excited with its spot-on pricing and with a great response in such a short span of time, Skoda will definitely look to capitalise and perhaps strengthen their hold in the Indian Automotive space
